10 Healthy Foods That Aren’t Actually Healthy

You might think you are eating healthy, but you are actually consuming foods that are bad for you. Autumn Bates (@autumbates) is a Clinical Nutritionist who has a Master's in Nutrition Human Performance and is a social media influencer with hundreds of thousands of followers. Her videos, which focus on healthy eating, weight loss, and intermittent fasting, regularly go viral, including a recent video highlighting healthy foods that aren’t actually healthy. “I'm gonna be sharing 10 different health foods that are actually pretty sketchy and are something that you might want to look into avoiding. Some of them are pretty surprising,” she says, adding that “chances are you're probably having some of these already.”

Margarine

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You may have grown up thinking that margarine is healthier than butter, but according to Bates, this isn’t correct. “Margarine is basically some type of vegetable oil” that is solid at room temperature. “This is not something natural. Vegetable oil should not be solid at room temperature, which means that they're physically reconfiguring the chemical. So at the molecular level, they're literally changing these molecules into something that isn't naturally found in nature,” she points out.

Low Fat Yogurt

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The second item on her list? Low fat yogurt. “Yogurt isn't naturally low fat. In order to make it low fat, they have to remove the fat in the first place. So considering there's only three different macronutrients, meaning protein, carbs, and fat, then when they remove a pretty major component of the yogurt, which is fat, then they have to replace it with something else,” she reveals. “And in most cases, for these low fat yogurt, they're adding back in carbohydrates in the form of sugar. Now, fat is satiating. It helps to make it so that you're actually feeling full after your meals. Carbohydrates don't have those same satiating effects, especially when they're in the form of a simple sugar. So not only will you not be satiated, but you'll want to eat more often throughout the day and it'll likely cause you to crave even more sugar. Plus sugar has that anabolic fat storing response. So swapping regular yogurt for low fat yogurt is actually working against your goals.”

Processed Vegan Meats

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Number three? Processed vegan meats, including Beyond Meat. “Now, one of the reasons why people see benefits when they go more plant-based is because they're incorporating more plant foods. Plant foods contain a variety of different micronutrients, all of which will actually benefit health. But when you're utilizing something like fake meats instead of a more plant-based whole source of protein, like with beans, lentils, peas, you're getting a much more processed food, and that means you're missing out on a lot of the benefits that come along with incorporating more plants into your diet,” she says. There are also lots of other additives you should not be eating. “So when it comes to incorporating more of a plant-based diet, it's always just best to get it from the whole source because you're going to miss out on getting any potential negative side effects of the additives that go along with these fake meats, and you're going to get all the benefits of the whole plant itself.”

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Low Calorie Ice Cream

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Number four, low calorie ice creams. “So this is one such as Halo Top, but there's a lot of other different ice creams that I've seen that are in the market now, and these seem pretty enticing. Because I mean, who wouldn't be excited when you saw the whole pint of ice cream's only 280 calories? It seems guilt free, and that's really what they're marketed as. But these low calorie types of ice creams really rely on sugar alcohols for the sweetness factor, and these sugar alcohols can cause GI distress in a lot of people,” she says.

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Prepackaged Juice

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Number five, prepackaged juices. “So there can be benefits from juicing your vegetables, especially because our farming is so nutrient poor, so it's hard to get a lot of the minerals that our body needs from just the food itself,” she says. She adds that a lot of the juices aren’t organic, “which means that you're going to be increasing your pesticide intake and you're essentially just drinking like a pesticide juice at that point,” she says. “If you are going to juice, then you're best off either going to a local organic juice shop where they're actually making the juice right in front of you and you can see it and you see what's going into it or making it yourself and getting the veggies from a local farmer's market.”

Prepackaged Butter Coffees

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Number six, prepackaged butter coffees. While she loves keto coffee and the benefits it offers, most of the prepackaged options “undermines the purpose of keto coffee in the first place,” she says. “So this happens a lot with food production companies when they see that there's a trend going on in what people want, they automatically go to mass produce it, but they want to create the product even more flavorful, which tends to be for them adding more sugar so that the consumer will be more likely to buy it and then continue buying it.”

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Gluten-Free Cereal

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Number seven on the list is gluten-free cereal. “In the last 10 years or so, gluten has gotten a really bad reputation and so people are trying to avoid it in general, and this mass avoidance of some types of food can lead to using way too much of another type instead,” she points out. “Plus, it makes it seem like just because something is gluten-free means that it's good for you. And that's definitely not the case. Sugar is technically gluten-free, but it doesn't mean that you should be pouring sugar all over your food. And with that in mind, a lot of these gluten-free products typically contain a lot of additives that will help to make the product have the same texture as the gluten containing product. So it's much more processed than if you were to just use the original version. Plus it's still cereal, so it likely contains a high amount of sugar anyway, and that'll just cause us crazy spikes and falls in blood glucose levels that will work against your wellness goals in the first place.”

Gluten-Free Crackers

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Next up, gluten-free crackers or chips, the “same exact concept,” as gluten-free cereal. “Just because they're gluten-free, it does not mean that it's healthy for you. And like I mentioned, these gluten-free products are typically more processed, contain more sugar and have more additives in general. And that's again, to make it actually taste like the original product that contains gluten in the first place.”

Nut Milk or Dairy Free Yogurt

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Number nine, nut milk or dairy free yogurts, which is “along the same type of mindset as the gluten-free issue,” she says. “You know, a lot of people are trying to avoid dairy because some people have some issues with dairy or because again, dairy has gotten a bad reputation, but specifically with yogurts, one of the reasons why it's actually able to form the yogurt is because bacteria is feeding off of the natural sugars that are within milk. Now, almond milks or other types of milk don't necessarily have the same natural sugar that bacteria is able to ferment, which means that they have to add it in. So you're getting a lot of added sugars with this. You're also probably getting a lot of different gums and additives as well in order to make that same consistency that other yogurts have. So again, it's a much more processed product.” She recommends “real yogurt” instead, “or if you're going the dairy free route, look for ones that don't contain any additives or any added sugars, they are going to be a lot more expensive, but it's actually going to work for your wellness goals not against you.”

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Protein Bars

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Number 10, protein bars. “I've talked extensively on protein bars and why these are actually working against your goals, including causing you to feel bloated and lead to weight gain,” she says.

Are you spending a lot of money on food and drinks you consider superfoods? Don’t waste your money, says Ken D. Berry, MD, family physician and social media influencer. In a recent viral video, the health expert busts the lid on exactly what a superfood is – and what it isn’t. “I'm gonna tell you five completely fake superfoods and tell you why they're fake. And then I'm gonna tell you five actual superfoods that are completely nourishing and noninflammatory to human biology,” he says.

1. Lots of People Waste Money on Foods and Drinks They Think Are Superfoods

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Dr. Berry explains that lots of people waste money on foods and drinks they think are superfoods, “eating it or drinking it every day because you think somehow it's magically going to improve your health.” However, most of them aren’t actually superfoods at all.

2. The Term Superfood Is Actually a Marketing Ploy, He Says

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Dr. Berry explains that the term superfoods is more or less a marketing ploy. “Food companies quickly learned from the United Food Company that the term superfoods equals super sales, and also you get to charge a lot more money for it,” he says.

3. Here Is What a Superfood Actually Is

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“My definition of a superfood is a food that is nutrient-dense, is ancestrally appropriate, meaning humans have eaten it for a long damn time, is rich in amino fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals, all of which are essential,” he says.

4. The Nutrients in Superfoods Are Bioavailable and Bioabsorbale

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“We need all those, or we'll get sick, we'll suffer, and we'll die,” he continues. “Also, these foods are, the nutrients in them are highly bioavailable and bioabsorbable, meaning they're not locked up by oxalates or lectins or phytates.”

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5. Fake Superfood 1: Anything “Whole Grain”

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He goes into talking about the five fake superfoods. “Number one on this list is whole grain, anything,” he says. “Right off the bat, there's a large percentage of human beings on the planet who have an outright allergy to gluten who cannot eat whole grains at all. And then there's another very large subpopulation that, although they don't have overt celiacs, they absolutely have a reaction when they eat grains,” he says. “So also grains are devoid of nutrition. That's why they're often fortified with fake vitamins and minerals coming from a chemical factory – because they don't contain any. So, that can't be a superfood. It doesn't meet the criteria for my definition of a superfood, which I think is the best definition out there.”

6. Fake Superfood 2: Dark Chocolate

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The next fake superfood? Dark chocolate. “It is touted as a miracle cure for this, that, or the other. It has magical phytochemicals in it, phytonutrients that you just can't get anywhere else in such high quantities. The problem is, is all these phytonutrients that you hear about, the polyphenols and all the other things, they've never been proven to be necessary for optimal human health,” says Dr. Berry. He points out that because of the claims, “the dark chocolate companies know that if you put super food on it, you can also charge a super price,” he says. “Superfood equals super profit, but it does not equal super health.”

7. Fake Superfood 3: Kale

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The next fake superfood might surprise you: Kale. “Kale is often touted as a superfood because it has so much vitamin A,” he says. However, he claims that it has “zero” vitamin A. “Kale is touted as having lots of phytonutrients and other things. And then also there is a premium placed on the price of kale, isn't there? Actually, kale, if it were sold at its true market value, the grocer would pay you to take it home and eat it.”

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8. Fake Superfood 4: Manuka Honey

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The next superfood is Manuka honey “or any of the other magically delicious honey out there,” says Dr. Berry. “I saw a tiny jar of Manuka honey at our local Whole Foods. It was over $50 for maybe two ounces of Manuka honey. This is 100% marketing honey of any variety from the cheapest honey that's been cut with corn syrup all the way up to the most premium expensive honey on the planet is sugar and water. That's what it is. It spikes your blood sugar and your insulin. There's nothing magical about honey. It's not a superfood.”

9. Fake Superfood 5: Pomegranate Juice

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“The next super food that you see touted all the time is pomegranates or pomegranate juice,” says Dr. Berry. He points out that the drink has “a lot of carbohydrates, a few phytochemicals that may or may not be proven someday to actually be beneficial for the human organism.”

10. Real Superfood 1: Eggs

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“The number one superfood that actually is super food by my definition is eggs with the yolk,” says Dr. Berry, noting that “the nutrition quality, the density of that egg yolk is just off the charts.” He adds that “virtually no one is allergic to an egg yolk, and this includes chicken eggs, duck eggs, goose eggs, quail eggs, the egg from any bird. The yolk is a superfood. It just can't be argued.”

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11. Real Superfood 2: Sardines and Anchovies

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“The next superfood that actually is a superfood is sardines and anchovies. Any of the small cold water fish with the skin on and the bones in are amazing nutritionally. If you look up the nutrition values for one of these fish, you're gonna be blown away. They're all wild-caught. They all basically live on algae, so they don't build up the mercury and other heavy metals that are in our modern ocean,” he says. “I literally could lock you in my barn and just feed you sardines with the skin on and the bones in. And it would be years before you developed a vitamin or a mineral deficiency because it's so nutritionally complete.”

12. Real Superfood 3: Liver

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“The next superfood that actually deserves the name superfood is liver. This can be cod liver, chicken liver, beef liver, pork liver, goose liver, sheep liver, goat liver,” he says. “The nutrition is so off the charts that it's almost unbelievable. Liver is probably the preeminent superfood. I didn't put it number one because a lot of people haven't yet learned to like the taste of liver. But while you're still working on that, I want you to look up the nutrition contained in just two ounces of liver and compare it to any other purported superfood on the planet.”

13. Real Superfood 4: Fish Roe

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“The next superfood that deserves the name is fish roe. That's fish eggs. Some people call it caviar. Of course, that only applies to a few specific varieties, but fish roe is amazing, much like the egg from a bird,” he says. “A fish egg contains every single thing needed to build a fish, including the fish's liver and all his heart and all its other internal organs. Fish roe is a literal superfood. He notes that it has “all the Omega-3 fatty acids, the other essential fatty acids, and all of the essential amino acids that you need.”

14. Real Superfood 5: Bivalves

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“The last superfood that actually is a superfood is the bivalves. This is mussels, oysters, and clams. These guys are superfoods. A lot of people don't realize this. They're not on a lot of people's radar,” he says. “The entire mollusk category is an excellent, excellent superfood. This includes snails and slugs, but a lot of people are not going to eat snails and slugs, and I totally get it. But oysters, clams, and mussels are nutrient-dense. They have almost a complete panel of every single nutrient you would ever need for optimal health.”

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15. Note That None of the Real Superfoods Have the Word “Superfood” on the Label

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“You may have noticed that none of the real superfoods actually have the word superfood on the label, but all the ones that are not real superfoods have the word superfood on the label,” Dr. Berry points out, reminding that the term superfood is just for marketing. “It's for making more profits. It has nothing to do with the actual nutrition contained in the actual food. You'll never see a package of liver or sardines or eggs or fish row with the word superfood on them,” he says. And if you enjoyed this article, take advantage of these 20 Superfoods for People Over 50.